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The paper, titled, ‘Antifrail: Why Muscle (Power) Matters in Aging’, was written alongside Distinguished Professor* Stuart Phillips, a leading academic in nutrition and exercise physiology.

The paper has helped to highlight the potential benefits of power training in older adults to reduce frailty and build physical resilience in later life. Evidence indicates that power training enhances mobility, lowers risk of falls, and improves quality of life, yet it is still underutilised in ageing populations.

The ACSM awarded the paper based on its research significance, conceptual design and technical innovation, and both Ashley and Stuart noticed huge interest in the piece from health and fitness professionals.

Ashley and Stuart have also been asked to present highlights from the paper at the ACSM Journals Symposium during the 2026 ACSM Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah in May.

Ashley said, “It is an absolute privilege to contribute to ACSM’s mission to educate and empower professionals to advance the science and practice of health and human performance.”

“This award reflects my deep commitment to promote accurate and up-to-date information to our frontline health and fitness workforce, especially those working with older adults.”

“I am forever grateful to Distinguished Professor Stuart Phillips and ACSM for this major career milestone.”

The American College of Sports Medicine is the world’s largest sports medicine and exercise science organisation in the world, with nearly 50,000 members and certified fitness professionals spanning international boundaries. Their mission is to educate and empower professionals to advance the science and practice of health and human performance, and to extend and enrich lives through the power of movement.

The ACSM Health and Fitness Journal is written to fulfil the information needs of fitness instructors, personal trainers, exercise leaders, program managers, and other frontline health and fitness professionals. The journal includes peer-reviewed features and topical columns covering all aspects of exercise science and nutrition research.

*The title of Distinguished Professor is offered to senior, tenured full professors who have demonstrated exceptional, internationally recognised scholarly achievement, research impact, or teaching excellence over decades.